Christina Aguilera's new album 'Lotus': First listen

She's released one of our favorite pop singles of the year with 'Your Body', so here at Digital Spy, we were mightily excited when we were invited to hear the singer's upcoming album Lotus in full at her record label.

Ahead of the LP's official release on November 12, we've posted our thoughts on the record - track by track, of course - below:

1. Lotus IntroDon't be fooled by the title, this is in fact a full song. Choirs chant over a flurry of electronics as Christina repeats: "This is the beginning" over a heavy, hip-hoppy beat. "To the sky I rise/ Spread my wings and fly" she continues, before running off her spiel about how a lotus is "the unbreakable flower".

2. Army Of MeBest described as 'Fighter' Pt II. "Now that I'm wiser/ Now that I'm stronger/ Now that I'm a fighter/ There's a thousand faces on me" she sings over a thumping midtempo beat, before belting "We're gonna rise up for every time you broke me" on the chorus. It's nothing we haven't heard from her before, but there's an urgency to it that suggests Christina needed to get it out of her system.

3. Red Hot Kinda LoveA smoky, sultry number with subtle hints of her Latino roots. It's built around the hook: "Baby I'm burning up/ You've got that red hot kinda love." It's relatively care-free for a Christina song in that it's less about big vocals and more about being a bit cheeky.

4. Make The World Move ft. Cee Lo Green"The time is now/ No time to wait/ Turn up the love/ Turn down the hate," she sings over bonkers arrangement of horn blasts and plinky synths. We'll be honest, this one didn't do much for us.

5. Your BodyMost of you will be familiar with this song by now and be aware that it is in fact very good indeed.

6. Let There Be LoveEssentially a massive clubby raveathon that is ultimately throwaway, but in the best possible way. "Let there be let there be love/ Here in the here in the club" she roars over a wall of trance beats. On first listen this was our favorite of the lot, but given its immediacy will probably end up somewhere around the middle a few months down the line.

7. Sing For MeWe were initially impressed by this ballad purely because she'd managed to hold it off for a full six songs. "I don't care what the world thinks or how I sound," she insists as she shakes off her insecurities. There's lots of words like "destiny" and phrases like "there's no place to hide", which should give you an indication of what we're dealing with here.

8. Blank PageAnother ballad, but a much, much better one. "I know this hurt, I know this pain/ But people change/ Lord knows I've been no saint," she opens with on what is a startlingly honest confessional. "I am a blank page/ Waiting for you to bring me to life," she sings on the chorus. It's basically Christina saying that she's messed some things up in the past and would quite like to start again if that's okay with everyone.

9. Cease FireOne of the moodier tracks on the record that, fittingly, is set to rumbling bass and a militant marching beat. It includes the rather brilliant line: "I'm tired of fighting for peace/ When I'm alone on this front line" and - as the title suggests - is a plea to her other half to stop the fighting for the greater good.

10. Around The WorldWe didn't write much down about this track other than that it's her attempt at a party anthem and includes the lyric "international love". Our favorite part was the nod to her Lady Marmalade moment from yesteryear, as she whispers: "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?"

11. CirclesAnother one of our immediate favorites. "Spin around in circles on my middle middle finger" she quips on the rawky chorus over a playground melody. The best lyric is: "Why you always trying to get up in my mixture?/ I think you're just bitter" before sounding off a giant "motherf**ker" at the end.

12. Best Of MeThe third and final ballad on the album is a grand, 'Beautiful'-esque affair that even includes the familiar line: "I won't let you bring me down." It also features a lovely spoken-word middle eight that only Christina knows how.

13. Just A Fool ft. Blake SheltonA soft, country-pop closer that looks obligatory on paper but fortunately isn't so bad in reality. Like most country songs, it's packed with melancholy and includes a sing-songy chorus of: "I had my heart set on you/ Nothing else hurts like you do." Truth be told, we suspect there's a good reason why this has been saved for the back-end of the album.

In short...Lotus is, like all Christina albums, very different from her others. We think that's a good thing, but it won't be for those that prefer the pick 'n' mix style of Stripped or even Bionic. There are a handful of great tracks to be found here, but this record is very much a pop album, in that most of the songs sound like they've been created with the mindset that they could be a potential single somewhere down the line. And given the precarious position she's in at the moment, this is probably the sort of album she should be releasing right now.

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